Since it's almost impossible to review a mere half hour of animation and have much idea of where it can go wrong or get better, let's instead get at the heart of what Nickelodeon's new animated series "The Mighty B!" is going for:

Bessie is a bit awkward - especially in the social arena. She's still getting her teeth in, so there's a slight lisp and a watery spray to her high-octane speaking style. She is fearless in a daunting world but also cowed by how to be good at the basic things, how to fit in, how to get along and be understood.

Perhaps in lieu of friends beyond the company of her little brother, Benjamin (Andy Richter), Bessie channels 135 percent of her energy into her Honeybee troop, where her pursuit of Honeybee badges is legendary. Getting Honeybee badges seems to give her a purpose, and it lets her get closer to her troop mates. She's a bit obsessed with collecting all the badges, so pigtailed Bessie zeros in on each badge challenge with real zeal. Because earning a badge is a little bit like fitting in.

And there's an ethereal higher purpose as well. Bessie believes that if she's good enough to collect every possible badge (numbering at least 5,000), she will become a superhero - the Mighty B!

If you're venturing a guess that "The Mighty B!" is partly about growing up and fitting in and the anxiety that can come with that, you're right. It's also about being an individual, about believing in yourself despite adversity, having a zest for life and setting goals. Those are all good traits in kids who are 9 "and three-quarters."

So yes, "The Mighty B!" is aspirational. But since kids in the target demo might feel they've outgrown the sweeter series they grew up on (children's television being a nearly can't-miss affair from ages 1-6), "The Mighty B!" has a stylized, manic wackiness that makes it more like "SpongeBob SquarePants" than "Arthur." In other words, it has fewer lessons to be learned and more cartoonish escapism.

Not that there's anything wrong with that. But it's important for parents to understand that what they're getting here is mostly broad entertainment, with a smattering of educational elements (social development issues, etc.).

On the plus side, Poehler ("Saturday Night Live," "Baby Mama") gives a roaring, full-throttle performance as Bessie. The writing is strong enough to take advantage of Poehler's comic skills (it's too early to tell, but one would assume the same thing will happen with Richter), and there seem to be a lot of possibilities for further exploration of Bessie's world - a key ingredient to the success of animated series.

Bessie lives in San Francisco, and locals will be pleased with the cable cars, recognizable architecture and multi-ethnic cast.

The series was created by Cynthia True, who writes for "The Fairly Odd Parents," and Erik Wiese, an Emmy-nominated storyboard artist on "SpongeBob SquarePants." They give it a familiar Nickelodeon look and sensibility - bulging eyes and exaggerated reactions, a little louder than really necessary. It's occasionally too dumb for its own good. But even one episode is proof enough that Poehler will keep the whole thing moving forward, and her ability to instill something endearing in Bessie is encouraging.

Because even though "The Mighty B!" is firmly out of that wonderful no-commercials block of educational (and enjoyable-to-watch) children's television, it still has an important message to convey: that transitioning into the "tweener" stage of life can be daunting and formidable, particularly for a girl, but that they won't be alone in the march to be accepted.

"The Mighty B!" proves that Bessie has no shortage of self-esteem and that given a shelter dog named Happy and a ragtag group of friends in similar stages of awkward growth, she's going to do just fine.